Operation Kennesaw Storm

Operation Kennesaw Storm (2007) was a military operation conducted by the US Marine Corps during the Iraq War against Ansar al-Islam militants that occupied the village of Sinjar in Iraqi Kurdistan, northern Iraq. The marines were repelled in their attack by strong insurgent resistance.

History
Ansar al-Sharia occupied the village of Sinjar in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, sitting atop a hill where the insurgents dug in, according to satellite imagery. The US Marine Corps sent a task force to clear the city of enemy presence and liberate it for their Kurdish allies, and the Marines assaulted the insurgents in the village and on the bridge over the main road. Fighting took place on the road, where the Marines fought the insurgents for control of travel into the village. The insurgents captured the Marine command posts while they were engaged in several firefights, forcing the Marines to withdraw, as their positions were overwhelmed by the Iraqi insurgents. This victory was a great one for the insurgents, who defeated the elite Marine Corps.